Shearer and Zola heading to Barbados
Barbados is hoping to enlist the help of football legends in the Caribbean’s fight against rises in Air Passenger Duty.
Alan Shearer and Gianfranco Zola will be among a host of former football stars who will be heading to the island in May for a high profile tournament at Kensington Oval, Barbados, in May.
Petra Roach of Barbados Tourism confirmed that it would be asking the event’s sponsors if they would consider asking their sporting celebrities to assist in an APD campaign.
"We think it’s a great idea and we will, over the course of the next few weeks, be considering asking for their help.
"All sponsors involved in this Soccer Legends tournament, including those that are based in Barbados such as Banks beer, will be adversely affected by the increase in APD and its discriminatory use in the Caribbean. Barbados being a favourite of UK visitors is affected more than most and anything that can bring this APD issue into the public domain will be considered."
Now in its second year, the Barbados British Airways Football Legends Invitational will take place on 26-27 May.
The tournament will feature eight English six-a-side teams including Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and a PFA all-star team.
Each captain has his eyes on reigning champions Manchester United’s trophy.
Former football legends also signed up to pack their football boots include Gaizka Mendieta, Dennis Wise, Roberto Di Matteo, and Andrew Cole.
The tournament will once again attract an enormous crowd of both British football fans visiting the country and local Bajans, who are just as avid in their support of the game.
Ex-Newcastle and England captain Alan Shearer said: "Last year was fantastic – great football and wonderful hospitality. All the lads are really looking forward to returning to Barbados this year and we can promise an entertaining couple of days for everyone who turns out again to support the tournament."
by Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025